


Familiarity

by Sincognito



Category: Undertale, Undertale AUs - Fandom
Genre: Character Death, F/F, Fantasy AU, Hinted Poly Relationship, M/M, Mage AU, More tags to be added!, Multi, Papyrus is UT Papyrus, Rus is Underswap Papyrus, This is a largely Papyrus based fic!, Violence, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 07:07:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16154096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sincognito/pseuds/Sincognito
Summary: Rus is a young mage, his life is simple and for that he is greatful, that is, until a monster turns up on his doorstep late one evening and throws his entire world into disarray. Now he must battle with all new feelings of love, loss, and guilt as he is forced to adapt to this new way of life.





	Familiarity

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for character death in this chapter - not any of the Sanses or Papyruses, but one of the main characters from the game!

The light of the sun had been blocked out by the heavy clouds above, and the wind that whipped through the valley brought with it flakes of fresh snow. One could have easily mistaken it for a bitter winter’s day and not the soft snows of early spring. The higher he climbed up the mountain the harsher the weather became, and Papyrus found it most fortunate that his travels were almost concluded.

Before him stood the cave’s entrance, a small gap in the rigid wall of stone that could be easily missed by the unprepared. He knew that the cave had been purposefully selected due to its rather remote location. While it worked to keep most amateurs at bay, it did little to deter the more powerful monsters. Papyrus knew for a fact that the poor weather conditions were of the least of his concern.

He leant back into his saddle, gently pulling back on the horse’s reigns. The mountain pony dutifully came to a stop, snorting loudly and giving a shake of its head. The mare had thick, lengthy fur that served to keep her well insulated against their icy surrounds, and her stocky build allowed her to easily navigate the treacherous path that ascended the mountainside.

Papyrus lifted his leg over the side of the horse, dismounting in one smooth motion and landing in the snow with a soft thump. He reached into one of the saddle bags, removing a small satchel that he was quick to swing over one shoulder. After ensuring that he had all of the required tools he walked towards the cave, trusting that his temporary companion would remain in place until his mission had been completed.

The skeleton took a moment to regard the cave’s entrance, his eye lights rolling over the ancient symbols that had been carved into the stone. He ran his phalanges across the deep gouges in the rock, feeling the resonation of an old power, far more ancient than Papyrus himself.

It was a relief to finally step inside the cave’s walls, shielding the rest of his body from the bitter wind that bit at his bones even through the thick furs he wore. It was completely pitch black within, the light from outside barely penetrating further than a few feet. Papyrus raised a hand, warmth spreading down his arm and toward the centre of his palm as a small flame flickered into existence.

Papyrus reached out to the small torch that hung from the wall, allowing the flame from his hand to cross onto the torch and ignite it with a bright flash of light. He allowed the fire on his palm to dissipate, instead wrenching the handle from the wall so he could carry it with him. He ignored the rest of the torches, choosing not to light them as to avoid any unwanted attention.

It only took a short while for him to finally reach the first room of the inner cave. While many called it a cave, it was, in fact, a temple that had been built many eons ago with the sole purpose of containment. The walls were built of bluestone, an extremely strong material that would keep the building secure against most magical attacks from the outside.

In the very middle of the room stood a large goblet-like structure and around it the floor was surrounded by large rings that grew thicker the further they were from the room’s centre. Between the rings were further runic markings, each of them spoke of ancient and dangerous magic and Papyrus was quick to remove his notebook from his satchel.

The light of his torch was just enough for him to read each of the markings and it was easy enough for him to quickly scribble them down with his unoccupied hand. He would have plenty of time to translate the words once he finally returned home, but he had to work fast if he had hope of noting down everything in the room.

Once he had finally managed to copy everything, Papyrus slid the notebook back into his bag before reaching for the thin vile he had brought with him. He calmly walked back towards the stone goblet, looking into the dark water within. He was unsure of what liquid lay inside the bowl but he knew better than to mess with anything enchanted by the mages of old.

Removing the cork stopper from the end of the glass, he tipped the contents into the black abyss of water, watching as it swirled around before mixing together. Papyrus could still smell the lingering scent of iron as he once again stowed the now empty glass, trying to ignore the way it burned at his nasal cavity as caused his magic to spark.

He reached out with both hands, feeling his magic begin to gather around his bones, lighting up a bright orange. Papyrus’ eye sockets slid closed as he began to recite the old words, his magic sparking against the surface of the water as causing the once black contents to begin to glow and brilliant crimson.

Papyrus’ magic too changed, taking on the red colouration as he allowed the power to resonate within his soul. The runes across the floor flashed brightly with magic, the room rumbling as it violently shook, one of the walls lowering to reveal a second passageway concealed by darkness. Just as the skeleton finished the spell and allowed his magic to calm he watched as a silver object began to emerge from the depths of the water. He reached out, grasping the item and rolling it about in his hand, getting a feel for the weight and magical output of it.

The dagger glinted brightly under the light of the nearby torch, the symbols that lined the blade’s handle shone a bright red, matching the rest of the ruins in the room. Papyrus grinned broadly, giving the weapon a test swing, feeling how it sliced through the air like an extension of his own arm. He would certainly learn to utilise the blade.

It was only when he looked back up to the door that had revealed itself that Papyrus realised he had allowed himself to get too distracted. The monster was only just able to leap aside as a large section of stone was hurled in his direction. He scowled at the giant beast that stood across the room from him, watching as it dragged its hulking form towards him.

The creature was extremely large, its whole body covered in grey fur that had perhaps once been a brilliant white. It looked almost like a common goat in shape, with huge, curled horns and its typical body shape. Across its face were ominous black markings and its face seemed to be pulled into an unnatural grin. Throwing its head back the monster roared, charging towards Papyrus, its head lowered to crash its skull against him.

Papyrus easily evaded the beast, his magic sparking to life once more as he summoned a row of attacks that he thrust in its direction. One of them made contact before it reacted, swiping at the remaining attacks and shattering them as though they had been made of glass. It lunged forward again, bearing down on the skeleton in the blink of an eye, snapping its jaws at him.

From the ground an array of vine-like tendrils erupted, easily breaking through the stone underfoot as they too reached for Papyrus. He managed to slice the plant matter with a second set of attacks but was not fast enough to stop the animal as it barrelled into him, knocking him from his feet. Papyrus grunted as the beast snarled down at him, its rancid breath making him ill due to their close proximity. Fortunately, the monster had done exactly as the skeleton had anticipated.

The goat monster was about to clamp its teeth down around Papyrus’ skull when its suddenly tensed, its whole body going rigid as a pained breath escaped it. One of its paws reached toward its chest, clutching at where the dagger had imbedded itself into its flesh as warm crimson spoiled its coat.

The nimble skeleton pulled the dagger free, rolling out from under the monster just before it came crashing to the floor with a loud thump. He looked down on the creature, watching as its eyes began to glaze over, no longer seeing, and the body crumbled away into nothing more than a pile of dust.

Papyrus frowned to himself, wiping the blade clean with a cloth from his satchel. It was rather disappointing, he had hoped for a little more of a challenge.


End file.
